Change I can believe in

Universal health care. Schools that teach actual subjects instead of just teaching test taking. Investment in a trustworthy infrastructure. Green technology that will grow new jobs and bring about an end to dependence on foreign oil from hostile regimes. Affordable college tuition for all who want to go. A return to Constitutional law and the system of checks and balances written into our nation's founding documents. Greater availability of mass transit and pedestrian friendly cities. Less sprawl. Safe and adequate housing for all. These are just some of the changes that I believe in, and that I doubt will come about regardless of who wins the Presidency. Oh, some of them might, but not all of them. For instance, I sincerely doubt that we can ever have real single payer, not-for-profit health care without the involvement of Big Pharma and Big Insurance. Their lobbies are just too powerful and too monied to be completely overcome. And Big Oil will not go away that easily, either. Too much money there and too many hands in the cookie jar from members of our government who want to keep their hands there where they can collect their riches when they need campaign money to get re-elected. I can hope that some of these things will get accomplished in the next administration, but what people forget is that Presidential candidates may make a lot of fancy sounding promises of what they will do, but without the cooperation of Congress, they can't do much of anything themselves....well, not unless you're George W. Bush, that is, who seems to pretty much think that being President of the United States means getting to do any damn thing you please no matter whose toes you step on in the process. But that's not the way that the Presidency was originally meant to function, which is why we need a return to the rule of law and the balance of power between the three branches of government - executive, legislative and judicial. So we'll see who wins on Tuesday in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island, and if a clear Democratic nominee arises from it all. And we'll see, if they do win November's general election and become President, what promises they will be able to keep, if any. I'm none too optimistic that much of anything will get done in a usually gridlocked Washington, even with a new administration, because the Democratic majorities in both the Senate and Congress are too slim to overcome the Republican minorities, so it will take a lot of reaching across the aisle and a willingness to do so in order for the current stalemate in Washington to be overcome. Stay tuned. It probably isn't going to happen anytime soon.

IT'S MARCH MADNESS TIME AGAIN!

This time of year inevitably means a lot of Irish music as St. Patrick's Day approaches. Last night I went to hear The Chieftains at the Palace Theatre in downtown Cleveland. Kevin Coneff and Paddy Moloney were the only two original members of the band in attendance, as the rest of the group were apparently "indisposed", but they brought with them some fabulously talented young Irish, Canadian and American musicians and dancers, some of whom I met at Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Arts Center last summer, so the evening was not lacking for sparkle, excitement and positively grand music and dance. I almost began to wonder if, knowing that none of them are getting any younger, the original Chieftains are grooming their replacements as age takes its toll on them. Already, one of the original members of The Chieftains, harper Derek Bell, has passed away, leaving the other four original members of the group, that has been in existence for 46 years, to carry on.

Last night we saw, as I mentioned, some fabulous young talent in harper Triona Marshall, fiddle player and dancer extraordinaire Jon Pilatzke, dancer and singer Cara Butler, dancer Nathan Piltatzke and three other young musicians whose names I did not catch, a piano player, a guitarist and another female fiddler, as well as a young woman from Scotland whose name I do not remember who had a lovely and ethereal voice. I met Cara Butler and the Pilatzke brothers last summer down at Augusta and Jon Pilatzke, who I had a chance to chat with after the show, recognized me from last summer. I asked if he and his brother would be back this summer and he said as far as he knew, yes. He urged me to sign up for their dance class, since I mentioned that in the interim since last July, I'd been working out a lot and getting really strong. Well, I don't know if my knees are up to it, but maybe if I feel like it by then, I might just give it a go! Oh, and as for the picture, on the far left is harper Triona Marshall, next to her is dancer Nathan Pilatzke, sitting is a guitarist named Jef McLarnon, behind him is singer/dancer Cara Butler, then playing the fiddle at the end is Jon Pilatzke. The name of their band is "The Tread" and this is their album cover. I bought it last night and have yet to take a listen, but given the energy that I heard from several of these band members last night, it ought to be a rolicking good time!